Weis right at home in Richmond
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 21 of 23 TORCO RACING FUELS NHRA NATIONALS Virginia Motorsports Park Dinwiddie, Va. Race Date: Oct. 6-8, 2006 Weis right at home in Richmond DINWIDDIE, Va. (Oct. 3, 2006)- Top Fuel pilot Scott Weis will feel right at home this weekend at Virginia Motorsports Park for the running of the TORCO RACING FUELS NHRA Nationals. Weis will be welcoming longtime supporter, Bruce's Super Body Shop's of Virginia back to the body of his Top Fuel dragster, along with mainstay sponsors, Barrett Enterprises. The Weis family have deep roots, both in the Richmond area and in Virginia drag racing history. Joe Weis, Scott's Dad, and his two brothers Wayne and Daniel were into speed and hot rods right out of high school, in the Richmond, Va., suburb of Ashland. They shared their passion with their father and soon got Grandpa involved. They organized the first sanctioned drag racing events in Virginia in 1958 on local air strips. The Weis boys would have races run in one county on Friday, the next county on Saturday and a third county would run races on Sunday. This led them to open Richmond Dragway in 1964, and after more than 40 years, Daniel Weis still owns and operates the Virginia landmark. Scott Weis followed in the family footsteps with a need for speed. He began his drag race career in 1982 at the tender age of 16, running a 1958 Corvette in super gas. With eight seasons under his belt, Weis progressed into the alcohol ranks and began running a Funny Car in 1990 locally on the National and Divisional level, before moving to the Fuel ranks in 2000, first in a Fuel Funny Car and currently in a 7,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster. "I can't explain how exciting it is to be running back here at home in Richmond," said Weis. "We are going to have plenty of help from all of our friends and family. Hopefully we can get the Bruce's Super Body Shops/Barrett Enterprises car into, what should be a very fast field in the cool Virginia air." Like Scott, Bruce’s does nothing halfway. “When we made the decision to sponsor Scott and the Weis Racing team it also meant creating a unique new look for the dragster�?? said Bruce’s owner, Bruce Hutchins.  The new paint scheme utilizes a tri-coat system with DuPont’s Chromapremier product. The colors fade from the nose, with a blue pearl… to a red pearl from the rear. “We were under the gun to get this hot rod to the start line,�?? said Hutchins. “Fortunately, Bruce’s BlowTherm downdraft booth bakes on a factory finish in a shorter time creating an incredibly durable and gorgeous end result."  Bruce’s now has three Virginia locations, with the opening of their newest store in Williamsburg, making Bruce's the largest, best equipped auto body repair business in the Richmond area. Known for their immaculate shops and storefronts, with bright lighting and white tiled floors, Bruce’s Body Shop's turn a high volume of repairs while always meeting manufacturer’s specifications for remaining environmentally friendly. Weis will have many fans and supporters in his corner as he returns to the strip at Virginia Motorsports Park. Aside from his support from Barrett Enterprises, Bruce's Super Body Shop's of Virginia, and local catering gems Buzz and Ned's BBQ, Weis will have the talented (and unrelated) Scott Weis Band perform in the teams hospitality area on Friday in between qualifying sessions. The band will perform Saturday evening at the well known downtown club, Alley Katz. The Scott Weis Band is composed of Scott Weis - lead vocals, guitar and harmonica, Roger Voss on the drums, and bassist Robert Kopec. Over the past twenty years, each of these musicians has worked with many legends of all styles of music, ranging from Junior Wells and Soul System to Jerry Garcia, U2, and Randy Brecker. These three musicians, along with keyboardist Michael Fossa, create a unique blend of soul, blues, and rock. It is sure to be an exciting and busy weekend for the Weis family as the Virginia drag racing history continues. RACE SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, Oct. 6 - Professional Qualifying Sessions at 3 and 6 p.m. SATURDAY, Oct. 7 - Professional Qualifying Sessions at noon and 3 p.m. SUNDAY, Oct. 8 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. Final Elimination's begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION SCHEDULE:   Saturday, Oct. 7, ESPN and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 10 p.m. (ET). Sunday, Oct. 7, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute magazine show at 12:30 p.m. (ET). Sunday, Oct. 8, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of elimination's at 7 p.m. (ET).           SATELLITE FEED:    Friday, Oct. 6, 9-9:30 p.m. (ET) - SBS 6, Transponder 16K (12092.5 MHz, Vertical) Saturday, Oct. 7, 7:30-8 p.m. (ET) - SBS 6, Transponder 16K (12092.5 MHz, Vertical) Sunday, Oct. 8, 7-7:30 p.m. (ET) - SBS 6, Transponder 16K (12092.5 MHz, Vertical)                                                     # # # Ken Sklute Weis Public Relations Official Weis Photography www.WeisRacing.com KenSklute@aol.com www.RacersEdgePhotography.com 602.738.0601